When I got my first horse in late March 2009, she was an obese trail horse with crappy feet, incorrect muscle development and a whole lot of anxiety. Correct dressage training, along with natural trimming, a good diet, groundwork and massage, has made her a very different horse. Follow along on our journey.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Always something...

Well, I did have three rides at the end of November/beginning of December, but recently it's gotten colder, and when I last saw Sofie on Sunday she went lame after I free schooled her a while. Her hocks seem to be alright; she was stiff but not horribly so. It seems to be a shoulder issue now, which would make sense since she's been reactive during grooming. She was a dent in her chest on the right side from when she ran into the wall of the run-in shed (she thought she AND another mare could fit through the opening at the same time...yeah, not likely), which tends to bother her at times. I wouldn't be surprised if she managed to crack her shoulder a little, which could explain her reactivity and front-leg lameness. We checked her leg and there was no heat or anything, but she was head-bobbing lame, even at the walk, which is never nice to see. After I turned her out she just stood in one place for a while, probably resting her bad shoulder. She's smart that way. I felt like complete crap after we left, since she had been happy and perky when I went out to bring her in (she's been happy to see me and walking up to me and everything) and I just hate it when she goes lame. I'm not used to seeing her go lame, either, since she usually shuts everything down before she ever goes lame. But lately she's been willing to work until she's lame, and then work some more. I'd like to think that she really likes me and wants to work for me, but I don't know how accurate that is, or if the arthritis is just progressing to the point where she WILL be lame some of the time. It's not that bad, but still....arrrrrgggh, Sofa.

Oh, and I was worried about her yesterday, so I texted Judy to find out if she had been looking okay. Apparently she felt good enough to run around the arena and be all uncooperative when they brought the horses in, the evening after she went lame. Arrrrgh, horse!!

No comments:

Post a Comment

The Before...

And The After!

About Me

I am a young rider learning dressage with a $750 trail horse who looks like she should be sliding to a stop instead of halting at X. I bought her from a woman who rode her on ten mile trail rides every weekend, and before that, she was at a rental stable. She is gradually overcoming various mental and physical issues left over from being "used and abused" and having bad feet and arthritic hocks. Despite all this she is basically a sweet horse, and she has made me a better rider.